The Bet
by Batmanluvr
Summary: Gibbs can't have coffee, and Abby can't have Caff-Pow! One week. The winner gets to make the loser do whatever he or she wants. And Tony and the rest of the team can't help but have a little fun. EPILOGUE is up! :
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Bet

Summary: Gibbs can't have coffee, and Abby can't have Caff-Pow! One week. The winner gets to make the loser do whatever he or she wants. And Tony and the rest of the team can't help but have a little fun.

Pairings: Gabby, there might be Tiva later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, or Coca-cola

Please review! :) This is my first Ncis fanfiction.

And one question… is Caff-Pow! a soda or kind of coffee? I've been sorta getting confused. Thanks.

XXXXX

"Gibbs!"

Abby immediately bolted from her chair and snatched the large cup of Caff-Pow! from Gibb's grasp as he stepped through the sliding doors. She quickly gulped down a good quarter of the fruity soft drink then glared at her "boss-man" with the look a mother might give to her naughty child… a child that just so happened to be sipping at a cup of black coffee nonchalantly.

"Why are you late?" Abby demanded frantically while standing on her toes, trying her best to match Gibb's height. "You're _never_ late! You had me worried! I thought you were abducted by aliens or run over by some car or something, Gibbs! Do you know how long I've waiting for my drink? I was practically about to die! What if I did die? And it would have been all your fault! You know I can't go long without my daily dose of Caff-Mmph!" Her high and agitated voice was muffled as Gibbs put a finger over her dark lips.

"You're welcome, Abbs." Gibbs smirked and removed his finger. "The machine was broken again," he replied. "I stood there along with a crowd of people waiting for them to fix it." Shifting his weight to his other foot, he stood there, waiting for the goth's answer.

It came after a long slurp of soft drink through a straw.

"Fine, but make sure it never happens again, Gibbs," she chided, turning back to her computer work with her beloved Caff-Pow! cradled in her arms. Ridiculous, it was as if it was her baby or something. The former marine shook his head.

"Keep talking like that and I won't have to bring you anymore drinks."

Abby's pigtails swished as she immediately turned around and dropped her cup of soda on the metal tabletop. "Thanks for the drink, Gibbs! I know I can always count on you!" she squealed, crushing her boss in a quick hug. He had to struggle to keep his own cup of coffee from spilling through the flurry of thin, gloved arms, but even he couldn't help returning the embrace.

"What have you got for me, Abb's?"

They spent the next few moments discussing the crime scene and evidence, which Abby had just scanned. So far they hadn't found anything new since the time the team checked the place out. Today Gibb's was planning on pushing his team to their hardest, but even his hopes weren't that high. Leave it to Abby to change the subject.

"So the machine seriously broke down again this morning? I mean, that's like the _third_ time that's happened this month, isn't it?" Then she gasped. "What if it breaks down for good, Gibbs? Then you'll have to walk down to that store down the block every morning, and I'd have to wait for you!" she exclaimed in horror. "What if they stop making Caff-Pow! I mean, like, for good! What would happen then, Gibbs? What would I do?"

He smiled playfully, not believing his forensic scientist's worry over something so unimportant.

"Well, I think you would have to switch to Coca-Cola then."

She gasped in horror at that. "I can't believe you would say that, Gibbs!"

He shrugged.

"Seriously, Gibbs, what do you think would happen?" she asked turning her seat around to see him.

"What would happen?" He leaned against the cold table, not believing he was being pulled into something as ridiculous as this. But it was hard to resist the cute pout she had plastered on her face. Staring at the floor he answered jokingly, "Well, I think my only forensic scientist would probably not get any work done at all or just finally die of thirst for caffeine." Gibbs looked up to find Abby gaping.

"Gibbs," she whined, hurt. "You seriously think that I can't work without my drink?" Her expression turned from that of a hurt child to a disgusted and unbelieving look. "You seriously think that?"

He pushed the joke further, not realizing where it was going.

"Well, here you are with your drink, and you're still not working. I can't help but imagine how you'll be without your drink," he chuckled. It was a big mistake.

Abby's gape opened wider. "I can't believe you, Gibbs!" she exclaimed angrily. "I can too work without my caffeine!" Gibbs was drilled with a green glare. "I mean, look at you! You're always drinking your coffee, and you don't see me going around saying you can't work without your caffeine!"

"Abbs." This was going way too far.

"And you drink it black too, for Pete's sake! What good is that?!"

"Abbs." How did their conversation come down to this, of all things?

"You think you're all tough and stuff carrying around that cup of coffee of yours, but you're not! You probably wouldn't last a week without your stupid-"

He interrupted before she could say the first word. "_What _did you say?"

"You heard me, Jethro," she replied confidently. "You wouldn't last a week without your daily fix of your nasty, black coffee." The way she said it made him sound like some junkie.

Gibbs stepped toward her, and she seemed to shy away a little. He pushed his face so close that his nose was almost touching hers.

"Do I hear a bet, Abby?"

Her head nodded vigorously. "You can't have coffee for one week," she stated while wiggling her index finger in front of his face.

"And you can't have any Caff-Pow! for a week either." Gibbs smirked. "The first one to give up loses."

"And the winner gets to make the loser do whatever he or she wants."

That made Gibbs hesitate, but he soon regained his composure. "Fine," he answered confidently.

"Okay. It's a deal." The goth thrust out a small gloved hand which Gibbs shook. After that was through, she loudly announced, "And the caffeine-free week begins now!"

"Wait… what?"

Gibbs watched in horror as Abby grabbed her huge cup of soda, rushed to the trash can in the corner of the lab, and practically thrust it down to its death. She then turned back and promptly held out her hand.

"Give it to me now, Gibbs."

It wasn't that he didn't want to prove that he could go through a week without coffee. It wasn't that he didn't want to start right at that moment, but he couldn't help admitting it to himself. He _really_ didn't want to start right at that moment, partly because Abby hadn't finished the soda that he had waited for so long to get. The other part was that he _really _wanted to finish his coffee. So he gave Abby a look of disbelief.

It didn't work.

"Give it here or else I'll go ahead and declare myself winner." She wiggled her fingers. With a sigh, Gibbs reluctantly handed her his cup, which seemed to tumble into the trash in slow motion.

It was going to be a long week.

The forensic scientist immediately rushed back to scanning the debris found at the crime scene. The smile on her face said she was excited and ready.

Gibbs left the lab slowly and gloomily, though he did his best to not show it. He couldn't help tossing a quick and longing glance at the trash can on his way out. The doors swished open as he exited, but not before he stole a look at the camera up in the corner. He would have to have a talk to Tony later. A sigh escaped his lips.

It was going to be a _very long_ week.

XXXXX

Tony Dinozzo could hardly suppress the guffaws bubbling from his mouth as he turned off the plasma screen showing the footage from the camera in Abby's lab. Gibbs not allowed to have coffee for one whole week? What time would be better to throw out some pranks? He couldn't help but imagine how much fun he would have.

Of course, the thought of a very cranky Gibbs ordering them around did nag at his mind, but it couldn't possibly be that bad. Kate and Mcgee did survive when they spilled his drink, this couldn't make Gibbs any crankier than that.

He hopped lightly on his toes as a huge grin formed on his face. He couldn't wait to tell the others. This was going to be so much fun!

The elevator dinged as its doors slid open, and Mcgee stepped out with a blank look on his face.

Dinozzo could no longer keep this new information to himself as the urge to tell someone finally took over. He had to tell, even if it was the "Elf Lord". Without another second wasted, he rushed out of the bullpen to greet Tim.

"Hey, Probie! Did you hear about Gibbs and Abby?"


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews! And also, if any of you have any good ideas for anything in the story, I am always willing to hear them. Your suggestions really help, especially when I can't come up with anything, which happens a lot. Here's chapter two! :)

Disclaimer: I still don't own them.

XXXXX

It hadn't taken long for the word about the bet to spread, Tony made sure of it. In a matter of minutes, the whole building was buzzing with the news; even Larry the janitor who mopped the halls outside of Abby's lab knew all the details.

Dinozzo, Mcgee, and Ziva were already at their desks and tapping away at the computers when Gibbs finally strode into the bullpen. The feeling that something very important was missing nagged away at his mind as shoved his empty hands in his pockets. He couldn't believe he was already getting fidgety. When he sat in his seat, he almost brought his hands to his face, expecting some nice warm black coffee. He immediately jerked them away when he remembered he had come in with nothing. No coffee.

"Morning, Boss," Tim greeted with an awkward and knowing smile. Tony just nodded his salutation, failing to stifle a smirk.

Gibbs muttered a "Mornin'" and stared at Ziva, who was silently staring at him with a smug expression. Then she took it a step farther.

"No _coffee_ this morning, Gibbs?" she asked with a shocked tone, straining the word _coffee. _

Mcgee snorted, and then quickly ducked, hiding behind his computer screen and typing furiously. Dinozzo had shoved his face into a magazine, but it didn't hide his quaking shoulders. All the while Ziva was studying Gibbs with an innocent look, as if waiting for an answer to her ridiculous question.

Gibbs was about to give her his hardest glare, but grunted instead. He _would not_ let them get to him. That was like practically giving Abby the winning trophy. No, he would ignore them, and they would stop… eventually. He hoped it would be soon.

He hoped Abby would go ahead and cave in so he wouldn't have to go through this any longer.

His hand shot out to grab his cup of coffee, and he inwardly cursed when he once again forget there was nothing there. Habits really did die hard. He heard Tony giggling to himself.

The next few hours couldn't go by any slower. Gibbs had spent more than half of the time staring at the ceiling musing over different things. Not only was it horrible that he had no caffeine to keep him company, but they weren't getting any farther in the case. Abby still hadn't called from the lab. He could only hope she was feeling as tortured as he was.

At one point, Dinozzo had left the bullpen and then came back gulping down a coffee. When he caught Gibbs staring at him with a menacing look, he asked if he wanted him get one for him.

Gibbs let it slip…for now.

It was a few hours past noon when they finally found something. Tony had found the address of the victim's ex-wife, and Gibbs had sent Ziva off to work, though Ziva had practically begged not to make her talk to said lady. Oh well, it was punishment for what she had pulled off that morning.

Another hour had passed when Tim left to go check on how Abby was doing with the evidence, leaving Gibbs and Tony alone in the bullpen. Gibbs used this to his advantage.

He stood up on achy legs and plodded to Tony's desk, slamming two fists down on the tabletop. When the senior field agent jumped in his seat and looked up, he was greeted with a hard and piercing glare.

"Look, Tony," Gibbs bellowed in a low tone. "I _know_ you're the one who was eavesdropping on me and Abby's little conversation, and I _know_ you're the one who spread the word across the whole NCIS building." He paused and drilled Tony with his glare a little harder.

Dinozzo had already swung his hands out before him in defense. "S-sorry, Boss," he stammered nervously, leaning farther back into his chair. "I was just checking to see if Abby was already in her lab, and you were in there, and hehehe…" His voice trailed off as he forced a smile.

Leaning over the desk, Gibbs replied, "I'm watching you, Dinozzo. And if you try to pull off something stupid, I will come and get you. Do I make myself clear?"

Dinozzo answered with a vigorous nod.

Backing up a bit to give his terrified agent some room to breathe, Gibbs added in a whisper, "And also, Tony, I am not making any plans on losing this stupid bet. If I lose this stupid bet, you don't want to know what I will do to you if you had anything to do with my loss. Got it?" He himself actually had no idea what he would do to Tony (he couldn't possibly fire him), so he let his senior field agent figure it out on his own.

Evidently, he did figure it out on his own as he once again nodded furiously.

Gibbs once again leaned in closer, lowering his voice even more. "And Tony, I'm going to make _sure_ I win this bet. I'm going to make _sure,_" he repeated while raising his eyebrows and giving a knowing look.

By the confused look on his face, Tony didn't know. "You gonna cheat, Boss?" he asked.

Letting out a sigh, Gibbs shook his head and leaned in even closer. "Let me rephrase that, Dinozzo. _I'm_ not going to make sure I win; _you're _going to make sure I win. _Or else…_" He let the agent finish the rest of the sentence on his own.

Tony slowly understood. "You want me to sabotage Abby?" he asked, shocked.

"You figure it out, Dinozzo." Gibbs reached a hand to Tony's head, and the man braced himself for a smack to the back of his neck. He practically jumped when he felt a few pats on the top of his scalp. Gibbs left to go back to his own desk watching Tony with a strange look.

"I got my eye on you."

_Ding._ The elevator doors slid open, and Ziva stepped out with a smirk. She was staring at Gibbs.

A large cup of coffee was resting in her hand.

Gibbs sent a glare flying at Tony, who shot his worried eyes at his fellow team member. He shot up from his seat and grabbed the woman's free hand.

"Hey, Ziva, can I have a little talk with you?" he asked while dragging her behind the staircase.

XXXXX

Abby was quite sure that she was living a nightmare, and for a change, she wasn't enjoying it.

For the whole morning, she had planted herself right in front of her computer, pumped and eager to ignore the little itch in her throat that was growing by every minute. By the time noon came, concentrating had become nearly impossible. So she spent the rest of the time mostly spinning in her chair, turning the volume to her blaring music up, or staring at the blinking computer screen.

_I wonder how Gibbs is holding up,_ she thought while resting her head on the cool countertop.

When the glass doors behind her swished open, she bolted up in her chair. Part of her hoped that Gibbs had come in to apologize for what he had said and ask if she was doing alright. The other part of her hoped it wasn't, because he would be disappointed that she still had not found anything from the evidence. The goth was quite happy to find Mcgee walking toward her with the stupid smile he always wore.

"Mcgee!" Abby squealed as she ran from her spinning seat and crushed him with a hug. Tim returned the hug, and when they parted he stared at her questioningly.

"No Caff-Pow!?" he asked in faked shock, looking around the room as if searching for said beverage.

She slapped him in the arm. "Shut up, Mcgee!" she whined. "You're not helping."

Laughing, he replied, "Sorry, Abby. I couldn't help it."

"Who told you?" Abby interrupted before a flustered Tim could answer. "Never mind, I know it was Tony. I'm gonna get him."

The two shared a laughed, then discussed how the case was going. Abby was glad to hear that the others hadn't gotten that much information; that would mean she was way behind.

After an awkward moment of silence, Mcgee had asked how she had dragged herself into such a mess with the boss.

"I dunno," she muttered while swinging her legs underneath her perch on the table. "We were just talking, and then Gibbs sorta got carried away with what he was saying, and then I sorta got carried away with what I was saying, and then _Bam!" _She slapped her hands together. "We made up the bet."

Tim nodded slowly. "You think you gonna win it?"

"I don't know… I mean, you know how Gibbs is, but then again…" her voice trailed off. "Oh, Mcgee. I really need to win this. I mean, losing is _not _an option here!" she stated with confidence. Then her voice faltered. "But I really don't know what's gonna happen." With a sigh, Abby fell into her coworker's arms.

A frown had found its way up to Tim's face, and after a moment of silence, he backed up, held onto Abby's shoulders, and looked her in the eyes.

"I'm going to help you, Abby" he said proudly.

"You are? How?"

"I'm sure I can find something to do to rattle Gibbs up a bit."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Abby asked worriedly.

"Don't worry. I'm going to make sure you win." He then spun on his heel and headed for the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" the forensic scientist called out.

Tim didn't even turn back. "I'm going to talk to Ducky. Maybe he can help me."

When he had finally exited the automatic doors, the goth smiled to herself. There were many reasons why Abby liked Mcgee. Not only was he nice, clueless, and maybe a little naïve, but she could always persuade him into doing what she wanted without him even knowing it.

Step one to her evil plan to defeat Gibbs was in play.

To congratulate herself for a job well done, her hand shot out to grab her Caff-Pow! off the counter. When nothing was found, a childish whine escaped her lips, and she stomped on the ground.

XXXXX

"Tony, are you pulling my arm?"

"Pulling my leg, Ziva," Dinozzo corrected crouching down behind the stairs to make sure they were out of Gibbs' line of vision. "It's pulling my leg, not arm. And the answer's no. I'm being serious. Back off on Gibbs a bit."

She gave him a look of disappointment. "Tony, you're the one who said there will be no other time like this and we should have as much fun as we can, and I am having a lot of fun. I am not going to give it up just because Gibbs threatened you." Ziva took a gulp of the coffee she still held.

"I know. I'm not saying quit bothering Gibbs all together, I mean, this morning was hilarious! And I know that I'm definitely going to take advantage of this week, but just back off a bit. Gibbs just wants to win, and I think we're going to be fine as long as we make that happen."

"You mean you're going to be fine," she replied.

"You know what I mean. I know for a fact that both of them are going to cave in before this week is over. We just have to make sure that Abby does before Gibbs."

The Israeli stared at the carpeted floor thoughtfully. "So I can still have my fun?"

"Yeah, definitely. Just don't get carried away with it. I'll be right there beside you cheering you on. We just have to make Abbs cave first. That's our number one priority."

After a moment of thinking, Ziva looked up and nodded nonchalantly. "Fine. We'll make Gibbs win." Then she turned and headed to the bullpen, sipping at her coffee.

Tony grabbed her arm before she left the staircase's cover.

"Give me the coffee," he demanded.

She just gaped at him. "But Tony!"

"Just lay low for now. We can't make him any more cranky today."

It wasn't that he didn't want to tease Gibbs at the moment. They just had to keep him happy for a little bit more, then Tony would have his fun. He just had to play safe for now and find the right time to bother the former marine.

Tony peeked around the corner to see Gibbs glaring at him.

Right now was definitely not the right time.

XXXXX

The rest of the day surprisingly went by uneventfully. No more clues to the case had popped up, and no more coffee jokes were cracked. Gibbs was quite happy.

Right before he entered the elevator to go to his car, Ducky came jogging to him, insisting that he ride home with him. Gibbs couldn't refuse. A nice talk with the good doctor might help take his mind off of _things_.

He was so wrong.

For almost the whole ride, Dr. Mallard had told a story about a time when a good friend of his visited Brazil to see where they grew coffee beans. Then he described in great detail how the beans, which he explained weren't really beans but seeds, were harvested and how they were turned into the wonderful beverage called coffee.

By the time they reached Gibbs house, the tortured man had had enough, but he couldn't find the guts to make the doctor leave. When the two had walked inside, Ducky suggested that they talk over a drink of coffee.

That was when Gibbs, whose eye was slightly twitching, politely asked him to leave.

He let out a sigh of relief when he was finally left alone.

That was when Dinozzo had barged through the door, running into the kitchen and snatching the coffee maker.

"I just want to make sure, Boss," he had said while leaving with a nervous grin.

When he was finally alone (he had made sure of it by glancing out the window), Gibbs let out a frustrated moan. For a while he just wandered aimlessly around the living room, not quite sure of what to do. Then he stopped in front of the phone.

_You should call Abby._

And why would I do that?

_Just to see how she's doing._

His hand reached out for the phone, but Gibbs yanked it down quickly, thinking that the quirky goth would just mock him. Then he shrugged. He loved it when she did that anyways.

Abby picked up on the third ring.

"What, Gibbs?" she answered instead of happily greeting hello.

"Um, hi. I just wanted to see how you're holding up."

"I'm fine, Gibbs."

A pause.

"Are you sure, Abbs?"

There wasn't an answer.

"Look, Abbs. I'm sorry for earlier."

Another pause.

"Thanks, Gibbs."

Gibbs leaned against the wall in silence. Abby's light breathing could be heard on the other line. A minute passed. Then two passed.

"So Gibbs, how are you holding up?"

It made him smile for the first time since the bet had started.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the many reviews! They all really mean a lot. I've been sort of planning out every chapter in my head before actually writing it, but I've been running out of ideas. So if anyone has _any_ suggestions, it would help a bunch. :D

And, by the way, I have nothing against people who like to drink water. I am a water drinker myself. I just wanted to let you guys know before you read the chapter. Now that that's out of the way, here's chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ncis, or Foldger's, or Starbucks, Batman, or anything else I obviously don't own.

XXXXX

"This is ridiculous, for flying out loud, Tony!"

The agent shook his head as he walked out of the elevator which opened up right across the hall for Abby's lab.

"It's not 'flying out loud', Ziva. It's 'for crying out loud', and I don't see you coming up with a much better plan." Tony crossed his arms and sent a glare to his coworker.

A groan escaped Ziva's lips, and she used the long straw jutting out of the Caff-Pow! cup to swirl the soda inside. Dinozzo nodded at her hand.

"Go ahead," he prodded. "Take a sip."

After a long and exaggerated sigh, she took a slurp of the caffeine packed beverage. Oh, the things she would do for Tony. Ziva immediately gagged.

"How does Abby drink this?" she exclaimed while cringing in disgust. "It is so… so-"

The other agent finished her sentence. "Strong? Well, that's definitely Abby for ya'."

The former Mossad shoved the hulking beverage at Tony. "Why don't you do it, Tony? I mean, you have known her much longer than I have," she persuaded. It didn't work.

"Well all the more reason why you should do it!" he insisted back. "So you can get to know our lab rat much better!" Then he pushed Ziva toward the sliding glass doors. "Now all you have to do is go on in there and show her what you got!"

"Why do I have to do it alone?" she groaned while turning back to face the man, who then sported a joking smirk.

"What? Do you want me to hold your hand and walk you in there?"

The ridiculous remark earned him a hard smack to the arm, and Ziva could only hope that he didn't catch the redness flowing to her cheeks.

"Aak!" he screamed. "Look, Ziva. Have you ever watched those Saturday morning cartoons when you were little?"

"Like Batman and Superman and all the other extremely-too-buff-that-it-makes-them-look-fat-and-unhealthy men with huge capes and underwear worn over their multicolor tights?" she questioned, then thought to herself that she had been spending too much time around their favorite gothic forensic scientist.

Tony nodded then thought about what the Israeli had just said, beginning to shake his head. "No," he replied. "Batman is way too awesome for such a low description like that, but anyways, yes. So you do know how all the bad guys are, right?"

"If by 'bad guys', you mean the dumb and clueless men who also wear multicolored suits and always order around their many henchmen, yes."

Dinozzo continued to nod. "Okay, so just picture me as the bad guy, and you are my henchman thug who does all my bidding."

Ziva's head tilted in thought. "So you are saying that you are dumb, clueless, and wear multicolor suits?"

He moaned in frustration and shoved Ziva toward the lab's doors, almost causing her to spill Abby's drink.

"Just go in there and talk to Abbs!"

With another groan, Ziva David walked through the swishing glass doors.

Abby immediately bolted from her seat to greet her friend. "Hey, Ziva! How're you-" she stopped when her eyes went to what was resting in Ziva's hands. "Um… Ziva?"

The Mossad put on the best fake smile she could muster. "Oh, hello Abby," she replied happily. "Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, nothin'. I just… I…" her voice hesitated. "I didn't know you liked Caff-Pow!'s."

With a shrug, Ziva answered, "Oh, um… yes. After I have seen you, um, drinking you soda, I have," she paused to search her mind for the right words to say. "I have tried it for myself and have found it quite delicious." Then she mentally gagged after forcing herself to take another sip of the beverage.

It seemed that Abby forced herself a slight chuckle. "Oh, I'm glad to see that Ziva." Then the goth changed the subject much faster than she usually did. "How's the case going upstairs?"

"Um, it isn't going that well actually," she answered honestly yet awkwardly. "You know, the fruity taste is really quite good." Ziva forced down another gulp of soda.

Abby nodded longingly.

Ziva's phone began to vibrate, and she fished it out of her pocket, setting the huge cup of soda on the metal table. The caller ID said it was Gibbs.

"C'mon, Ziva. Dead marine found in a family's backyard." Then he hung up.

Ziva shot a look at Abby, who was staring at the soda. "I'm sorry, Abby, but Gibbs is calling me." She quickly rushed out of the lab, past Tony, and down the hall. In a matter of seconds, she was entering the elevator, but not before hearing Abby calling out, "But- but- Ziva! You left your Caff-Pow!"

Oh, the things she would do for Tony…

XXXXX

The whole morning had been pure torture for Gibbs. The long line at the coffee machine was practically calling for him. _Gibbs! Gibbs! Where have you gone? I miss you! _it screamed. It pained him to just turn his back and leave, but he was set on winning this bet.

The drive to the new crime scene was only worse. Mcgee had brought his usual small cup of coffee with him, and even though it was probably cursed with sugar and all the other girly coffee stuff, Gibbs longed to grab at it. So instead, he sent it flying out the window. Tony had scolded him for littering, but he was punished with a long and menacing glare.

Gibbs was finally glad to reach the murder scene, a house settled at the end of a cul-de-sac, and take a huge gulp of fresh air. The team spent the next few moments searching the house. The body's neck had been cut open in the backyard, much to the horror of the house owner, a lean blonde woman. The former marine walked up to her while Mcgee was throwing her questions on the porch right next to the yard. When he finally got closer, he caught sight of a large Starbucks cup in the woman's hand. Gibbs silently cursed.

"Did you move the body in any way?" the "Elf Lord" asked while scribbling in his pad of paper.

The woman shook her head, taking a long gulp from her cup. Then her eyes shot to Gibbs. Tim turned around; just noticing his boss was standing right next to him.

"Oh, hi Boss," he replied. "I was just asking Mrs. …umm. I'm sorry. I didn't get your name," he said turning back to the woman, who put on a warm smile.

"It's Mrs. Foldgers," she answered happily. "Cara Foldgers." Gibbs could feel his left eye twitching. Strange, it had begun to do that quite often.

Tim just smiled stupidly. "Oh! You mean like the coffee?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, just like the cof-"

"Um, yeah," Gibbs quickly interrupted, trying to change the subject with an effort that would make Abby proud. "Where's your husband…Mrs. _Foldgers_." He had had to force the name out of his mouth.

The lady leaned against one of the wooden hand railings. "Oh," she sighed. "Well, you know how bad the economy has been lately. George had just been fired from his last job. Now he works at the Starbucks down the block." That was when Gibbs began mentally kicking himself. He didn't even bother to listen to the rest of the conversation.

"Say, would you guys like a cup of coffee?" asked Cara.

Gibbs just stomped off. What had he done wrong in life? Was God trying to tell him something?

XXXXX

Tim gingerly handed Cara fifty dollars.

"Thanks for the coffee."

She shrugged. "Hey, fifty bucks to drink coffee? I'm all for it."

"I should pay you extra," Tim replied. "The whole Foldgers and Starbucks thing was great."

That earned a shake of Cara's head. "Nope, that was all true." Mcgee just gawked. "I'd be happy to accept the extra money though. George really is struggling."

XXXXX

A few hours later into the day, Abby was happy to have Gibbs walk into her lab. She happily sipped at her drink. Gibbs just smiled.

"Does this mean I win?" he questioned, pointing at the large Caff-Pow! cup in her gloved hands.

"Nope!" she answered happily while popping the lid off. Holding the container out, Gibbs saw that it only contained ice water. "It's been hard trying to get around the lab without carrying something nice and cold, so I took the cup of Caff-Pow! that Ziva accidentally left and filled it with this stuff!" Gibbs had raised an eyebrow at the mention of Ziva. "I still don't get how people drink this stuff anyway! It's so bland and untasty and boring and unfun. It's like gulping down a big bunch of nothing! I feel so horrible, but I feel worse if I don't have anything!"

Gibbs walked over and laid a kiss on Abby's forehead, and she fell into his arms (for real this time).

"Thanks Gibbs. But seriously, I'm struggling a lot. I think I deserve a little more."

He kissed her repeatedly on the head then on her cheek. "Is that enough for you?"

A pout had formed on her face. "C'mon Gibbs! I'm a big girl now! Aren't I?" She snuggled up closer to his chest.

"Really, Abbs?" he questioned mockingly, his face moving in closer.

"Really, Gibbs!" she whined while standing on her toes.

The space between their lips diminished completely as they shared a long kiss. Then another. Then another. When they were finished, they stood still in their embrace, savoring every moment.

Gibbs couldn't help thinking that this stupid bet wasn't all that bad.

XXXXX

I'm sorry if this chapter seems a little rushed. School work has been sorta getting into the way, so I'm really stressed. Please review! ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews, guys! :D Here's chapter four. And also, thanks, _Dolphin645757_, for the simple yet great story suggestion that actually saved me from not posting this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ncis, but Larry the janitor belongs to me.

XXXXX

Another day came and went. Gibbs was quite happy to walk in on a sunny and busy Wednesday morning, though he had been feeling rather sluggish lately. Tony and Ziva were already hard at work (McGee must have been with Abby) when he quickly plodded into the bullpen and collapsed into his chair with a sigh, closing his eyes.

After a few minutes, the former marine finally opened one eye to observe how his team was doing, only to jerk both open when he caught sight of something sitting next to his blinking computer screen.

It was a rather large and steaming Starbucks cup. The words, "Hello, Gibbs. I've missed you," were written in red marker right under the trademark mermaid symbol.

Gibbs eyes quickly shot up to glare at Ziva, but the ex-Mossad was busy discussing something on the phone. So Gibbs sent his hard glare flying at Tony instead, who was typing something away. Oh well, his report would have to wait.

"Tony!" Gibbs demanded sternly while standing up. "What is this?" he pointed at the cup of coffee. Tony just stared with a puzzled look.

"What boss?" The confused agent's eyes began searching his boss's desk.

Gibbs just gritted his teeth, making them ache. "You know good and well what I'm talking about." But Tony just continued searching the desk with his eyes frantically. The former marine let out a frustrated groan. "The coffee cup on my desk! Who put it there?"

By now, Ziva had hung the phone up and was studying Gibbs with a baffled look.

"Um, Gibbs," she stammered. "There is nothing there."

Gibbs sent his glare flying back at his desk, and sure enough, the coffee cup was there, mocking him.

_What's happening?_

"What are you talking about?" he questioned quite loudly. "It's right there!"

DiNozzo had stood from his seat and was now leaning over his own desk, squinting. "Um, Boss, there's no coffee cup."

Gibbs just shook his head, looking back at the coffee. It was right there! It had to be there! He was looking at it right now!

Then a thought popped in his mind. Oh no. He was hallucinating, but he couldn't be!

Without another second to lose, he grabbed the coffee, stomped over to the trash can sitting next to the probie's desk, and hurled it down. It landed with a sweet sounding _thud._ Gibbs sighed with satisfaction. With that problem solved, he turned back to his desk…

…Only to find another hot and steaming cup waiting for him. This time it read, "Aw, Gibbs. That hurt my feelings."

All Gibbs could do was pause and gawk (mentally, of course. He never showed if he was surprised, which he was). His two team members continued to send him confused stares.

"Boss, are you okay?"

"Tell me that you see that," Gibbs said through clenched teeth.

Ziva could only raise an eyebrow. "See, what Gibbs?"

Oh man, he really was hallucinating.

"Boss?"

"Tell me that you see that!" he yelled, pointing at the horrifying cup.

Tony just looked at Gibbs worriedly. "Boss, are you sure you're okay? There's nothing there."

"Don't tell me there's nothing there! It's sitting right there!" He jabbed his finger at his desk.

"Uuum…" Tony sent his worried look at Ziva, whose face matched his.

Gibbs let out a long and frustrated groan, then once again snatched the so called cup and hurled it at the trash can.

When he turned back, there was another one. This one read, "You're mean, Gibbs."

"Augh!" the now baffled boss moaned. "You guys can't see that?" The other two could only shake their heads, earning another held out groan. "Larry!" Gibbs called. The janitor looked up from the window he was wiping. "Tell me that there's a cup of Starbucks coffee sitting on my desk."

The young man's face sported a puzzled look as he gazed at Tony and Ziva, who were slowly shaking their heads.

No, no, no! He couldn't be hallucinating! He had always known that he had had a love of coffee, but not so much as to give him ridiculous hallucinations!

"Augh!"

With that, Gibbs stomped out of the bullpen and to the elevator.

XXXXX

Tony could only hold his laughter until the elevators closed behind his boss's back. As soon as they did, loud and hearty guffaws flooded from his smiling mouth. Ziva had slammed her head down on her desk while silently giggling. Larry the janitor could only smile.

"Did you see the look on his face?" DiNozzo exclaimed between fits of laughter. "That was hilarious!"

His teammate snorted. "I have to admit, Tony. That was pretty good."

"Man, Ziva. I knew you were a pro' assassin and all that, but I didn't know you could move that quick!"

"Thank you, but I was actually hoping that I could put at least one cup up," The ex-Mossad answered while holding two more large paper cups.

"Hahaha! I told you I would have my fun, Ziv'! I just had to wait for the right time." His laughter ended, and he sent a look flying to Larry, who was silently standing between the two desks. "Hey, Larry, I owe you one!"

The janitor glared through his bushy mess of dark and greasy hair.

"Okay, okay. I owe you more than one, but could you follow Gibbs and make sure he doesn't go and cave in. We still have to make sure he wins," Tony explained with a wide grin.

Larry just scowled, until he was handed a twenty dollar bill by Ziva. Then the young man silently strolled to the elevator.

The two teammates continued to laugh.

XXXXX

Abby had had enough.

She was tired of not having Gibbs show up in the morning with a hulking cup of soda. She was tired of the still growing itch in her throat. She was tired of Ziva walking in every now and then with her favorite beverage. She was tired of having to drink nasty water all the time.

She was _definitely_ tired of this _stupid_ bet!

Abby could only be thankful that she had a friend like McGee to comfort her that morning. After he had left, everything went silent, until a the glass doors swished open a few hours later.

This time, instead of Ziva, Larry came in with a Caff-Pow! The same depressed look that he always carried around was plastered on his face (Abby guessed it was because Tony kept taking advantage of the young man).

"Hey, Larry," the goth greeted, trying her best to sound like her old cheery self.

"Oh, hey Abby."

Then they stood in awkward silence, both staring at the floor. The janitor took a sip of his drink.

"I didn't know you liked Caff-Pow!'s," Abby replied, still feeling quite awkward talking to a man she barely knew. She wondered why he was here in the first place. He wasn't even carrying his mop!

"Oh. Yeah. Um…" The man stared off into space, and then returned to reality. "Um, actually I don't," he admitted. Then he gingerly set the huge cup on the metal table and left the lab, muttering something about how stupid Tony was.

Abby just gaped in horror. "But, Larry!" she called. "You… you… I-" She couldn't find the right words and finally collapsed in her seat, sending glares at the abandoned soda.

Why did the world hate her so much?

The first thought that crossed her mind was to throw the beverage away, but she quickly decided against it, hiding the Caff-Pow! in the fridge instead. Then she went back to work, scanning the clothes from a dead marine found the other day.

After a few hours of nothing, her eyes reverted back to the fridge, longing for the Caff-Pow! that called for her.

One sip wouldn't hurt, as long as she didn't get caught.

After quietly opening the glass door and grabbing the soda, she slowly and cautiously held the straw to her lips.

"Abigail! What are you doing?"

The lab rat turned to find a frowning Ducky walking briskly toward her.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Ducky!" she exclaimed with disappointment. "I couldn't help it! Larry came in here, and then we stared at each other, and then he left his cup, which Ziva and Tony have been doing a lot lately. I didn't know they liked Caff-Pow! But anyways, Larry left it, and I was thirsty, and I couldn't help it 'cause I've been through too much already-" She was cut off when Ducky butted in.

"It's okay, my dear," he replied while laying a hand on the goth's shoulder. "But you had better be glad it was me who walked in and not anyone like Gibbs. He would have declared himself winner by now, even if you hadn't taken a sip. Now, we wouldn't want that to happen would we?"

Abby shook her head, causing her braids to swish.

"Well, then. When Timothy came down to the morgue and explained to me what you and Gibbs had brought up, I was quite determined to help you win. I mean, Gibbs almost always gets what he wants. So I thought we might make a change to that."

The goth could only smile and then grabbed the good doctor in an embrace. When they released, Ducky nodded.

"You know, this reminds me of a time back in London…"

XXXXX

It had a long day, and Gibbs was glad to finally get into his car. He was also definitely glad that the hallucinations hadn't continued. Strangely, nobody had said another word about it. Tony and Ziva had been especially quite, and every time Larry passed by, he gave Gibbs a scowl (then again, Larry always wore a scowl. He would have to tell DiNozzo to stop taking advantage of the kid).

Gibbs stopped himself before he started up the engine. It was only seven o'clock. He had told everyone to leave early since they were obviously not going to find any clues about the case that night. The thought of going home alone and having nothing to do bothered him. He didn't want to work on the boat either (he hadn't worked on it ever since the bet started).

The former marine didn't want to go home, but he didn't want to stay and work on the case (which seemed impossible to solve). Before he knew it, he had pulled out his phone and started dialing Abby's number. Then he paused.

_What are you doing, Gibbs?_

He flipped the phone shut and began shoving it into his pocket, but the thought of Abby needing comfort crossed his mind. Gibbs once again fished the cell out of his pocket and forced himself to dial the number.

"What's up, Boss-Man?" she answered heartily.

"Um, hey, Abbs." He began searching his head for the right words. "You doing anything tonight?" he asked hopfully.

A pause. "Nope. I was just gonna go home and um… y'know, do stuff." Gibbs chuckled at the answer. "Why, Gibbs?"

"Well, I was thinking it was still sorta' early and I might take you out for dinner or something." He mentally begged for her to say yes.

There was another pause. "Cool beans, Jethro! Sounds like fun. Where we goin'?"

A smile found it way on the former marine's face. "Where do you want go?"

"McDonalds!"

Gibbs sat there, unsure of what to say.

Abby was laughing happily. "I'm jus' kidding, Gibbs!" Pause. "Actually, there's this new Italian restaurant that I've been looking forward to eating at."

He chuckled. "Okay, Abbs. Whatever you say. Are you still in the lab?"

"Yup!" was the cheery reply.

"Okay, I'll come get you right now." Gibbs flipped the phone shut, hurled a newspaper that was resting on the passenger seat next to him to the back, and stumbled out of the car. He gave out a satisfied sigh.

Inside the building, Abby was seated at her desk, waiting eagerly for her "Silver-haired Fox" to arrive.


	5. Chapter 5

I am so sorry for taking so long to post guys! I would have updated sooner but school has gotten in the way. :( Oh well! Some of you guys were asking about Jenny and Palmer, so I tried to put Jimmy in a little bit. Here's chapter five!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ncis or Mcdonalds

XXXXX

"That's hilarious, Tony!" Jimmy Palmer wiped the few tears streaming down his eyes while leaning against the wall under the staircase to steady himself from his recent fit of laughter.

Tony could only nod in agreement with a mischievous grin glued to his face. "Uh-huh. And after that," he continued to explain in a lowered voice, as to not get caught. "Boss threw the cup in the trash then turned around and there was another cup, thanks to Ziva! Man, he like freaked out! You shoulda' seen the look on his face! Then he stomped off to the elevator with a flustered look! Man, it was great!"

The medical assistant burst into another fit. His laughter didn't fail to ring throughout the room, until DiNozzo's hand slapped across his mouth. The agent brought a finger to his lips.

"Hey. Shut up. Do you want him to hear us?" he chided. "Gibbs would totally kill us, you moron!" The two men slowly leaned to look around the staircase and at the bullpen, where the subject of the conversation was supposed to be. It took them a while, but when the duo finally found Gibbs, they couldn't fight off the smiles that tugged at their faces.

"Oh man," Tony mumbled with quaking shoulders.

Gibbs was at his desk, knocked out cold. The former marine was leaning back in his chair the way he usually did, with his mouth gaping wide open. His head was sort of leaning to the side while his disheveled hair poked out in odd angles.

Meanwhile, snorts and snickers could be heard behind the staircase, until they finally broke out into full guffaws. The two men were busy laughing and trying to keep themselves upright. Palmer was grasping to the edge of the wall while Tony had given up and sat himself on the floor, holding his sides. A few other people passed by, giving them confused looks that seemed to say, "What are those two crazy idiots doing there?"

After the many happy tears were wiped and the men had regained their composure (what little they owned, in Tony's case), Palmer straightened himself up and stared at Tony with a smirk.

"This is great, Tony. I can see why Dr. Mallard chose to side with Abby, but seriously, is that the only prank you've pulled?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Scratching his head, DiNozzo answered, "Man, I wish I could pull more, but Boss threatened me to keep my distance, and y'know…" His voice trailed off. "So I gotta get Abbs to lose, or else…"

Jimmy shook his head while adjusting his glasses. "Good luck with that." Pause. "Wait a sec! Is that why Abby keeps complaining that Larry the janitor keeps walking in randomly with Caff-Pows! and then 'accidentally' leaving them?' He gave the agent a look of disbelief.

Tony could only chuckle. "Yeah…" He gazed at the ceiling. "That Larry guy really was a sucker for a few bucks, but he got fired yesterday for taking too many breaks for Caff-Pows!. So I sorta got a problem…" Staring up at Palmer, he explained, "So now I need you, Jimmy!"

The man just gaped. "I don't want to take part in any of your _**dirty little plans**_, Tony!" he exclaimed loudly.

"No, no, no! It's not like that!" His hands immediately shot up in defense. "All you have to do is take Larry's place. I mean, just walk in there and leave the soda! C'mon, Palmer!"

Jimmy's gape became wider as he paused in thought. "That's it!" he yelled in an outburst. "Seriously, Tony, I expected better. And you've already done that like five times!" His arms crossed as he shifted his weight from one foot to another.

DiNozzo couldn't help but slap himself in the face. "Well, we're talking about Abby. Y'know… _**Abby.**_ Pulling a prank on Abby is like trying to snipe Gibbs. You just don't do that. And don't get me wrong! My plan was about to work (I heard from the Probie), but Ducky came over and ruined the whole thing! Now, all you have to do is put the stupid cup in the lab and leave! It's not that hard, Jimmy!" The agent grasped Palmer's shoulders and shook them furiously. "Just do it, Jimmy! For the sake of _America_!"

"…"

The two stood in the same position, staring awkwardly at each other, but DiNozzo's gaze didn't falter, and he was still holding on to the assistant medical examiner tightly. This time, the people who passed by and saw them just stared and then walked away a little quicker than usual, worrying at just what they might see if they kept strolling at a slow pace.

"Please, Jimmy?" The agent stuck out his lower lip, attempting a cute pout that only Abby could pull off.

A short moment passed. "…Fine. I'll do it," Palmer finally answered with an exasperated look. "But you owe me, Tony."

It made Dinozzo's face light up like a Christmas tree on fire. He immediately grabbed Jimmy into a tight embrace, all the while ruffling his curly hair.

"I love you, Jimmy! I knew I could count on you!" he yelled as he tightened his hold. The force of the hug made the man's glasses fall half way down his confused face. More people passed by and stared, and now they just took off in a power walk or jog. Tony's squeezing and squealing continued until he was shoved off with a yelp.

"I'll do it, but I don't promise anything!"

"Okee-Dokee! That's fine with me!" came the answer with a two thumbs up. Then excited man paused in thought. "You might wanna be careful, Jimbo. McGeek's been pretty protective of Abbs ever since she almost blew the bet." Palmer gave him a glare that would make Gibbs proud. DiNozzo's hands once again flew up in defense. "Okay! Fine! I'll do something 'bout the Elf Lord! Happy?"

With a sigh, Jimmy plodded off to retrieve his huge cup of soda. DiNozzo just smiled as he mentally congratulated himself for doing a job well done. He really could be evil when he wanted to be. Too bad he couldn't think up of any pranks to pull on little Abbs, though he finally convinced himself that he wouldn't want to anyways. The agent peaked around the corner of the staircase to see if the coast was clear.

It wasn't. Inside the bullpen, Jenny could be seen chiding Gibbs, who was cursing colorfully.

"Jen!" the boss was shouting while leaning forward in his chair. "Of all the times you tell me to get rest, you choose now to take it back!" His teeth were being held tight together.

The director was only crossing her arms and shaking her head. "I just want you to do your job, Jethro."

"Jethro" stood up with a stomp, and rushed to the elevator in fury. Jenny could only shrug and walk off. After a few minutes, Tony found it safe to enter the bullpen. Another few minutes later, Palmer crossed the vast room to the elevator with a huge cup off caffeine packed soda. Dinozzo sent off a nod, which earned him a scowl.

_Man, the kid's turning into Larry,_ he thought as he settled himself at his desk, waiting for Mcgee to arrive. Ziva had called that she would be late while Gibbs was taking his nap.

No more than a few moments did the elevator _dinged_ and Tim stepped out with his stupid grin. The senior field agent stood and held up a hand to wave a greeting to his fellow teammate.

"Yo! Probie! Get your geeky butt over here!"

Tim's face went from a stupid grin to a stupid scowl. What was up with people giving him scowls all the time? It was beyond Tony.

The younger agent set down his suitcase at his desk, turned on his heel, and headed back to the elevator.

"Hey! Where you going?" Tony demanded as his co-worker walked past his own desk. He couldn't let the Probie go if he was headed for Abby's. It would ruin his evil plot!

Tim paused and turned to DiNozzo.

"I'm going to go check on Abby," he stated a matter-o'-factly then resumed to taking a step to the exit.

Tony didn't let him.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Timmy," Tony explained while stepping into McGee's face menacingly, driving him back to the Probie desk.

McGee raised a questioning eyebrow. "And why is that, Tony?" The back of his leg bumped into the corner of the desk as he stepped away from DiNozzo.

Tony just shrugged. "Um, I dunno." His finger went up to scratch his nose quickly. "Y'know, its… um… Abby. Y'know." Tim continued to give a puzzled look. "She's goth, McGee! _**Goth! **_She likes dead and dark stuff. I mean, you don't wanna be near that stuff." An innocent smile that didn't look all that innocent formed on the agent's face. McGee shook his head after a moment of awkward staring.

"I'm just gonna go, Ton- _**Aaak!**_"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as his co-worker tackled him to the ground behind the desk in a flurry of flailing hands and kicking legs.

The people who passed by didn't even pause to stare as they took off quickly at a glance.

"_Aaaak! Tony! What're you doing?_" McGee demanded as Tony pulled at his hair, with his body lying on top of Tim's.

"You don't need to go to Abby's right now! You are all mine!" Tony cackled as he began to rampage poor Tim's head with a ferocious and painful noogie. "Hahahahahahah!

Tim was yelping in pain. "Tony. Get. Off. Of. Me. Now."

"You can't make me, Probie!"

"Aaaugh!"

"Bwahahaha!"

"Um… Tony?"

The attacking man glared up to find a certain ex-Mossad staring down at them. Everything went silent, and the squabble ceased to exist. Both of Ziva's thin eyebrows were raised and her mouth was slightly open.

"Um… I think I will leave, Tony."

"No! No! Ziva, this isn't what it seems! I mean, it's Probie!" Tony called out.

Below him, McGee yelled, "Ziva! Save me!"

The Israeli just gave a baffled look and swiftly exited the bullpen. A long moment of silence passed until Tony glared down at Tim, whose face was red and sweating.

Suddenly, Tony exclaimed, "This is all your fault Probie!"

"Aaah! How is it my fault?!"

The pummeling of McGee continued for a good few minutes…

…until Gibbs came out of the elevator. The stern boss was already yelling orders before he entered the bullpen.

"McGee! I need that list of names of the marines from those ships we discussed about! Where are they?" The ex-marine entered the bullpen and searched for the geek. His face twisted in anger, obviously from the feud he had had with the Director earlier. "Hey! McGee! Where is-" Gibbs stopped as he laid eyes on the two pairs of legs sticking out from behind the Probie desk. He scuffled over to get a better view and then tilted his head.

"Um… hi, Gibbs."

"Do I even want to know what you two are doing down there?"

Mcgee didn't let the chance of salvation pass. "Boss! Help me!"

Gibbs was leaning over the desk, staring DiNozzo in the eye. "DiNozzo, what are you doing?"

Tony made another attempt for an innocent smile. It earned him a dark glare. For the third time that day, his hands flew up in defense, but he didn't lift himself from Tim.

"Um… Let me just say that this isn't what it looks like," he stammered.

"Then what is it supposed to look like?"

That made the agent chuckle nervously. He decided to quickly explain the whole fiasco. "Um… actuallyI'msortaworkingonmyevilplottogetAbbstolosethebetandyoutowinsohereIamtacklingProbietotheground!" He laughed with a nervous tone.

Gibbs just stared awkwardly.

Tim wouldn't give up. "Boss, please help me!"

A quiet minute passed. Then two.

"McGee, give me that list of names."

Tim gave a huge gape. "How am I supposed to do that when _**I'm down here!**_"

Gibbs shrugged.

"Boss! Get me out of this!"

Then all was silent…

…until Gibbs made his move…

…out the bullpen.

Another minute passed as the two's eyes followed their boss. Then Tony broke the silence.

"_**Hahahaha! You see that, Probie! Gibbs left! And now there's no one here to save you! You're all mine!**_" He continued to cackle insanely as he playfully but painfully slapped at Tim's head and face.

"Aaaaugh! Tony!"

XXXXX

_Ding._

Jimmy Palmer quickly stepped out of the elevator doors when it opened to the floor with Abby's lab. The beverage in his hand sloshed about in its huge container.

He still couldn't believe he was doing this for DiNozzo, but who knows what the crazy movie-loving agent would do if Palmer hadn't agreed. He'd probably torture him with a year of coming down to the morgue just to pester him and Dr. Mallard with James Bond quotes. Jimmy shuddered at the thought. The Doctor's stories were already enough, though he did admit that he enjoyed them thoroughly. The plot of Godzilla, not so much.

The doors to Abby's famous lab swished open as he stepped towards them, and inside he found Abby staring at him. Her arms were crossed, and her glare pierced like daggers. Her music seemed to be blaring louder than usual.

"And what do you think you are doing, _Jimmy?_" The way she stressed out his name made him shudder.

"Um… I was… Um."

The goth groaned. "How much did Tony pay you?" Her gloved hand shot up before he could stammer out an answer. "Don't answer that. Lemme just say this." Abby took a menacingly step forward, and Jimmy held onto his soda tighter. "Do you know what I am, Jimmy?"

He adjusted his glasses. "Um… Angry?" he guessed.

Abby's braids swished as she shook her head vigorously. "No, Jimmy! I am a forensic scientist, and not only that! I am _**the**_ forensic scientist. And not only will I tell you that I can kill you without leaving _any_ forensic evidence, but I will tell."

"Tell who?"

He earned a look of disbelief.

"Well, Ducky, of course!" she exclaimed. "And he's spent _years_ looking at dead people. I'm sure he can do much worse than me, and when finds out that you've been bothering me…" The goth took her finger and drew it across her neck, making a tearing noise with her mouth.

Palmer gave a worried look. "You wouldn't."

She stomped up to him and stood on her toes, making them face to face. "I'm not afraid to tattle, Jimmy. And I do it very very well." Palmer gulped, and Abby smiled. "You know what you have to do."

The next thing he knew, Jimmy had hurled the soda down the trash and bolted to the elevator.

XXXXX

Gibbs let out a sigh as the elevator doors opened to Abby's floor.

It had been such a long day. He had felt extra sluggish to the point that he had fallen asleep several times, earning him a scolding from Jenny, which he did not enjoy at the least. Then he had found Tony practically on top of Mcgee behind a desk. Sometimes he didn't even want to know what those boys were up to.

His hands were gripping a paper bag containing a "Happy Meal" from Mcdonald's, and its contents rustled within as he strolled down the hallway. He had once again dismissed the team early (McGee's list didn't bring anything up), so he had driven down the block to get Abby the fast food. It would give them something nice to laugh about.

Gibbs stopped in his tracks when he heard voices coming from the lab. Backing up, as to not open the automatic doors, he leaned over and peeked in…

…to find McGee and Abby hugging.

The strange feeling hit him like a train, and the ex-marine felt like dropping his bag of food. Then again, Abby always hugged anyone who came near her. This wasn't much of a difference. Was it?

The hug was lasting a little too long.

"That was so brave of you, McGee!" Abby was saying while squeezing him tightly. "I can't believe you survived one of Tony's noogies _and_ an atomic wedgie!"

"Well, it wasn't easy," Tim explained while rubbing the goth's head. "It hurt. Really bad."

That made Abby giggle, and it made Gibbs think that the two were having a little more than a friendly chat.

After a moment of silence, the two finally let go of the embrace. Tim just stared into her eyes.

"Hey, I heard that that new Italian restaurant that you wanted to visit was open. Wanna go?"

That made Gibbs gape. Tim was stealing _his_ date!

Then he stopped and thought. Abby was his date?

Abby smiled. "That sounds super!" she stated happily.

Gibbs felt crushed.

Chuckling, Tim said, "I want to make your first visit special."

That was all he could take. Gibbs took off down the hall. Abby was his date! He took her to the stupid restaurant first! It was supposed to be their special moment!

He stopped his thoughts before they could go any farther.

What was he thinking?

Without another thought, Gibbs hurled the Happy Meal down a nearby trash can.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi! Sorry for the late update. It's been another stressful week with school work and volleyball games, and I didn't know what to write until an idea popped into my head after something my vb teammates were doing with our coach. I'm so happy it's the weekend. Anyways, here's they final chapter for this story! Some of you have been saying that you wanted the two to compromise the whole bet or Abby to win (do none of you like Gibbs?). So now you get to find out in this chapter! Thanks for the many reviews. I'm glad you guys enjoy reading this because I really enjoy writing it. :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Ncis

XXXXX

"Boss!"

Gibbs groaned and shifted in his seat, which was, by the way, very uncomfortable. His eyes squeezed shut as he tried to drift back to sleep.

"Boss!"

He tried to drive the nagging voice out of his head. He really did. Why couldn't the world just _shut up_ for once, just this one day? The half awake man tried drowning off the noise with thoughts.

_Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up…_

"Boss! You gotta wake up!"

Gibbs gave the voice one more chance, thinking that maybe this time it would choose to leave him alone.

It didn't.

"Bo-"

_Smack! _Gibbs' hand had shot out and slapped the first head it found, which just so happened to be no other than Tony DiNozzo. The shocked agent stumbled back with a yelp.

"Aak! What was that for?" he whined, feeling his now burning forehead.

The former marine had leaned forward to rest his elbows on his desk while rubbing his tired eyes. "What do you think, Dinozzo?" A migraine attacked at the back of his head. Looking up, Gibbs found that he and the Tony were the only ones in the bullpen. He sent a glare at the clock on his computer, seeing that he had only gained about five minutes of rest.

Meanwhile, Tony continued to rub at his now red forehead.

"Man, Boss. That was quite a slap," the agent remarked playfully. It earned him a piercing stare. "Sorry! But ya' better be glad I'm the one who woke ya' up. Madam Director would'a had a-Aak!" Gibbs had once again reached over to give a slap, this time on the back of Tony's neck.

"Get to work."

DiNozzo gawked. "B-but, Boss! There's nothing to work on! Probie and Zi' are out, and we didn't find nothing yester-" His rant was interrupted by an icy blue stare. "'Kay boss, goin' to work," he stammered as he found his way to the desk at the other side of the bullpen.

With a sigh, Gibbs put his face back into his hands. The last day of this torturous bet was coming soon, but frankly, he wasn't sure if he could quite make it. Last night had been a bummer. He had driven home and sluggishly worked on the boat for the first time in a few days, sipping at a bottle of Jack Daniel's. In bed, he had wondered how Abby was. Was she having a good time with McGee? What if the two were more than what they said they were? More than friends?

_Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up…_

A few minutes passed, and Gibbs was still at his desk, staring at his blinking computer screen. He would be engrossed with some sort of work, but truth be told, Tony had been right: there was no work to be done. The team had failed to find anything for the past few days, and it only made Gibbs feel more down. He laid his head back and stared at the ceiling lights. It hurt his eyes, but he really didn't care. It would keep him awake.

Another few minutes flew byuneventfully. DiNozzo had mentioned something about having a campfire to keep Gibbs awake and maybe figure out the case, but the boss had just ignored him. Then all went to silence. That was… until Tony popped a piece of hard candy into his mouth.

After that, all that could be heard were exaggerated and very loud lip smacking noises. _Smack. Smack. Smack. _Each _smack_ seemed to get louder and louder, and Gibbs could only groan at his throbbing headache.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Boss?"

"…"

"Boss?"

Mentally, Gibbs screamed for silence and peace. He answered with an exasperated sigh, hoping it would make the agent shut his trap.

"What do you want, DiNozzo?"

"You want some candy?"

"No." Glad that that was over, the former marine leaned farther back into his chair.

Tony wasn't done yet, though.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," came the monotone reply.

"You really don't want any?"

"I don't want any, Tony."

"Why?"

Gibbs pictured himself strangling the immature man, Tony's thin neck being squeezed flat by his big boat-making hands. Gibbs begged to God to let him, but he forced himself to try to be patient.

"I don't eat candy."

"Oh."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Can you at least try it?"

Gibbs clenched his jaw so tight that it fell like it would explode at any moment.

"No."

"But it's really good."

"No."

"Probie thinks it's good."

"No." _All the more reason why not to like it, _he thought.

"Ziva thinks it's good."

"No."

"Ducky thinks it's good."

"No."

"Fornell thinks it's good."

"No."

That made Tony gawk and lean forward in his seat.

"Aw, c'mon boss! You gotta know it's good if _Fornell_ likes it."

With a mental sigh, Gibbs held out his hand. DiNozzo happily shot up from his desk and handed his boss the large bag of hard candies…

…only to have them thrust down into the trash.

"Boss!" Tony whined in horror with a gape on his face.

"Don't even try digging that out. Now get to work," came the stern reply with another stare.

"I already told you! There's no work!"

"I don't care! Just do something!" With that, Gibbs flopped back into his seat (as much as Gibbs 'flops'). DiNozzo just sadly strolled back to his own desk like a child being put into time out. When he sat himself down, a long, exaggerated sigh escaped his lips, making his already annoyed boss cringe with even more annoyance.

This was ridiculous. He just wanted a stupid cup of coffee. Why was he being punished this harshly?

"…"

"…"

"Boss."

Once again clenching his teeth, Gibbs ran a hand through his hair.

"What, Tony?"

"Do you think I'm annoying?"

_Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up…_

XXXXX

"Abby? You okay?"

"Yeah, just tired," answered the goth, lifting her head from her desk. She reached over to her stereo set remote to raise the volume to her already blaring heavy metal music. Music was truly a gift from heaven. It keeps you awake, keeps you entertained, and annoys your coworkers. Tim could only give an awkward stare.

"… Are you _sure _you're okay?" he once again questioned. It made Abby sit up straight in her seat and glare at the Probie.

"I said I'm fine, McGee!" she persuaded exasperatedly. "I mean, you gotta hand it ta' me. I've been through days without a Caff-Pow! and I'm still on top of my work!"

McGee raised an eyebrow. "Um… Abby, that's because you don't have any work right now."

The goth stood and held out her arms. "Exactly! That's because I already did all my work! And Gibbs thought I wouldn't be able to do _anything_! Can you believe it, McGee? Well I proved him wrong!" She flopped back into her seat, spun around once in it, and crossed her legs, looking very proud and satisfied. The look still didn't hide the bags under her eyes though.

Tim had marched up closer to the desk. "You tired?"

Abby leaned forward in the chair, making it squeak a bit. "Am I tired? Am I tired? Of course I'm tired! Did you not hear me? I've been through _days_ without any caffeine! I've been practically living off of this junk!" She sent an accusing finger flying at a half empty water bottle. "It tastes like cardboard Mcgee!" The goth sent herself flying into his arms. "My life is horrible!"

"So you didn't like last night?"

The forensic scientist pushed herself away from Tim, shaking her head. "Oh, last night was great." Her black lips formed a smile. She really did mean it. They had had a good time that night, pretty much just making small chat. The food was good, not as great as the first time though. Abby had found it hard that night not thinking of her and Gibbs' date at the same place the night before that. She seemed to feel more…she searched her mind for the right word… comfortable around the "silver-haired fox". That was strange.

"Maybe we could go there again some time."

"Yeah…" She turned around to grab her water bottle and take a huge gulp, only to cringe at the bland taste.

"Can't get used to it?" asked Tim.

Abby nodded. "I still don't see how people drink this stuff. It so…_hinky_." That made McGee chuckle.

"Here, I think this'll help." He marched out to the first room of the large lab and grabbed the bag he had left on the metal table, revealing an icy cold blue slushy that had been hiding behind it. Abby smiled with glee.

"Mcgee!" she squealed with excitement. "You got this for _me?_" She didn't even let him answer as the goth immediately swept the drink up and took a few long sips from the red straw.

Tim couldn't wipe the huge stupid looking grin from his face. "I knew you'd like it."

"Thanks." Abby set the cup down and wiped the condensation that had mad her hands wet off on her black miniskirt. "That just made my day, McGee!" Her cheery smile grew.

He nodded. "'Kay. I'll just put this in the fridge." The probie snatched the cup and waltzed on over to the cooler. Abby immediately stopped him with a worried look.

"Um… I don't think you should do that." Her hand grabbed the arm of his leather jacket.

"It'll melt, Abby. I mean it's already watered down."

She shook her head furiously. "That's okay. I like it that way!" Abby stammered quickly, trying to snatch the slushy back.

"Abby, why?"

"Because I like watered down slushies! Is there a problem with that?" She continued to try to grab the blue drink, but Tim kept it out of her reach, all the while staring at the fridge.

"What are you hiding in the fridge?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing!"

It didn't convince Tim, as he began to take a few steps toward the hulking glass machine. Abby kept on pulling his sleeve.

"McGee! Don't put it in the fridge!" she squealed like a whining child.

He squinted, trying to make out what was hiding behind a large container of acid. It might have been nothing, but as he stepped closer, Tim could make out that something was definitely hiding in there. Something red…

"Oh, Abby. You didn't…" McGee's voice trailed off as he rushed to the refrigerator and yanked open the glass door.

"Nooo! Mcgee!"

"Abby! What is this?" Tim exclaimed as he held out the huge Caff-Pow! cup he had discovered within the fridge. He stomped over to the table and slammed both drinks down onto the metal table top.

Abby's hands had found their way to her hips. "What do you think it is? It's a Caff-Pow! you dummy!" she laughed sarcastically. It didn't hide the guilt in her voice.

Tim could only gawk. "Where'd you get it."

"From the machine. Duuuuuh."

"Abby!"

The forensic scientist groaned. "Oh okay! It's from last week! All right?"

McGee's gape grew. "It is not!" he argued back.

Abby's whine rose in volume. "Ohh! Okay! I took a few sips before you came in!"

"A few sips?! It's half _empty!"_

"If it was more than a _few _sips, McGee, it would be totally empty," she replied happily, only to be answered with a frown.

"Abby! I went through all this hard work to make sure you win, and then you just cave in on your own?!"

It was Abby's turn to gape. "Hard work?! You paid a lady a few bucks to call herself Mrs. Foldgers!"

"I did not! Her name _was_ Mrs. Foldgers! I paid her to drink the coffee!"

"Well that's even worse! And you still paid her extra anyways! Even Ducky did better than you! He actually _went home_ with Gibbs!"

"Well I'm not good at this whole prank thing! I'm not Tony!"

"Who's not Tony?" The duo turned to find the one and only Tony DiNozzo stroll in through the sliding doors. The agent was giving the two a rather awkward look. Then his puzzled eyes fell upon the large soda resting on the table.

"Oh man," he whispered. "Abby caved!" he yelled mockingly, all the while laughing to himself. His finger pointed at the goth. "You caved! We win! Gibbs wins!"

Abby glared at the elf lord. "Thanks McGee. That's why I hide things. So they won't be found!"

Tim gaped for about the tenth time. "You put a _soda_ in a _fridge!_ You call that hiding?!"

"Well it would've stayed hidden if you didn't want to put your stupid slushy in the stupid fridge!"

The two continued to argue aimlessly while Tony continued to mock them.

"What is going on in here?" called out a British accent. The three stopped their ranting to once again see who was coming to the door.

In came a confused Ducky and Gibbs, who seemed to be a little more cheery than he was earlier. His smirk said it all. Abby looked down to find him holding a large, steaming cup of coffee. A huge smiled found its way to her face as she pointed.

"Ha! You caved, Gibbs!"

"You caved first, though!" DiNozzo protested, lifting up the Caff-Pow! as evidence.

Ducky steered his gaze towards the young scientist. "Abby, is this true?"

"Um… yeah," she answered guiltily. "But it was only a few sips!"

"Half the cup is empty!" exclaimed Tim.

"Whose side are you on?!"

Tony butted in. "But that still means Abby loses. Right?"

_Ahem!_ Everyone –except for Gibbs, who was sipping his coffee at the doorway- turned to look at Dr. Mallard. "Well, Abby, when exactly did you drink the soda?" he questioned skeptically.

"'Bout a few minutes ago. And it was only a _few_ sips." She sent a green stare at the probie.

"If I remember correctly," answered Ducky, turning to Gibbs behind him. "I found Jethro here downing a rather large coffee in the bathroom." Everyone sent their boss a questioning look. "And I do think that the terms of the bet were that the one who loses is the one who caves _first._"

Tony stammered, "But you don't know if he caved before Abby though!"

"Actually, I do. You see, I found Jethro in there with _three_ cups of coffee. Two of which were already empty." Gibbs could only smirk as he continued to sip at his cup happily. "Talk about an addiction."

"Boss!" Tony exclaimed as he gaped. Tim smiled to himself while Abby wasn't sure of what she was supposed to feel.

"Well I guess we can declare Abby here as the winner," replied Ducky with his usual cheery air about him. It made the goth smile. Tim's grin grew as he leaned over to ask Abby something.

"So what are you going to make him, Abbs" he questioned while staring at Gibbs.

Tony was still shocked, and Ducky broke the short silence. "Come, boys. Let us let the two get this whole thing settled," he said while prodding the special field agent out of the lab while Probie followed. Abby and Gibbs –who was still drinking his coffee- were finally left alone.

XXXXX

The puzzled look on Abby was priceless, and Gibbs couldn't help but smile to himself as he looked into her confused green eyes.

"I can't believe you caved, Gibbs."

He smirked even more. "Well I can believe you caved."

"Gibbs!"

The former marine chuckled, but Abby was still gawking.

"Gibbs, how did _you, _of all people, get caught?"

"Well everyone, even Ducky, needs to go when nature calls, Abbs." The playful remark earned him a light slap to the arm and a cute giggle that only Abby could make. He loved it. The goth fell into his arms, once again making him almost spill his drink. He returned the embrace though.

"How could you get caught?" she wondered out loud. Then she added playfully, "How could the mighty Gibbs get caught in the-" The scientist pushed herself away. "You got caught on purpose!" she exclaimed in realization. When he smiled, she slapped him in the arm. "You cheated! How could you Gibbs!"

"If I didn't cheat, you would've lost though, Abbs." He earned another slap.

"But that's cheating Gibbs! And cheating's not good! It's one of the seven deadly sins!"

"…No it's not."

"Well I don't care! Cheatings not good at any time! Bad things happen to cheating people! They feel _bad_, and they _lose_, and they _die_, and they get _slapped_ by their girlfriends…"

Gibbs wanted to say, "You slapped me," but he stopped himself as she continued her rant.

"It's not good Jethro! It's just not good!"

"I still did it on purpose though," he replied with his undying smirk.

That made her pout. "Why, Gibbs?"

He paused. Truth be told, he didn't know why. He had known that Abby would probably cave that day, and he knew that making himself lose would be the right thing. It would put him out of his misery, but he knew that wasn't the reason why he had lost.

"I wanted my coffee."

"Gibbs!"

The former marine mentally head slapped himself.

_You moron, tell her that you did it for her._

He finally decided, set his cup of beloved coffee down, and slowly took her into his arms.

"I did it for you," he whispered while caressing the top of her head.

"You didn't have to."

"But I wanted to."

"You're willing to let me make you do anything just for me."

"Of course, Abbs."

She paused and dug her face into his shoulder. Gibbs squeezed her tighter.

"Tell me you love me," she finally replied.

Gibbs didn't hesitate. "I love you."

"No, say it like you really mean it. Not like all those other times you say 'I love you'."

"But I've always meant it, Abbs."

Pause. "Well then say it again."

"I love you, Abbs."

"Always?"

"Always."

"Even if another Hollis Mann comes?"

The former marine chuckled. "Even if another Hollis Mann comes," he repeated, laying a kiss on the top of her head.

When they finally released, they stared into each others eyes. Abby giggled, and Gibbs loved it. He silently reached over to the computer screen to see how they others were doing in the bull pen. When he hit the button, the screen came to life, revealing Tony and Tim facing off.

"You can't play your stupid video games for a whole week!" Tony was exclaiming, glaring daggers at Probie.

"And you can't talk on the phone with, flirt with, or go on a date with any woman of any kind!" yelled Tim.

Gibbs turned the screen off before they could shake hands. Then he was yanked to Abby's desk.

"What are we doing, Abbs?"

"Picking your tattoo of course!"

_Oh no._


	7. Epilogue

Well… Anyways, I was just being bored just like any other day, and checking through my account, I noticed that a lot of you still had your alerts up for this story. So I thought since I had nothing better to do and since I feel that I sort of left this story on a bad ending, I decided to write a short epilogue for you guys! Hope you like it! :)

Disclaimer: I still own nothing :(

XXXXX

A few days had passed ever since the bet between Gibbs and Abby had been commenced, and Tim and Tony were just getting started on their own challenge. Of course, DiNozzo had come running to his boss, asking for his help, begging him from his knees. Gibbs didn't blame him. After all, what more could you expect from Tony? A week without any dates? That was practically impossible for the man! And for once, Gibbs actually had pity on him…

…But that didn't mean he agreed on helping the agent.

"Why Boss?!" the man had pleaded, leaning over Gibbs' desk so he could push his own face closer to his boss's. "I helped you! Why can't you at least return the favor?"

Gibbs had glared at him while sipping at his coffee. "Because you're Tony. Tony can't go through a week without contacting other women other than Ziva or the Director. It's just not possible," was the blunt, sarcastic remark. "And don't even say you helped me last week. All you did was take my coffee maker from home – which I still haven't gotten back – and left have empty Caff-Pow! cups in Abby's lab. That's not helping!"

"Hey," DiNozzo had replied in a hurt tone, "It did too help. My evil little plot almost worked, but you just had to screw things up by having your stupid coffee."

"Maybe I wouldn't have had the coffee if I hadn't had any 'hallucinations'. Do you remember that?"

That had made Tony gawk. "How did you-" He stopped himself midsentence. "Oh, I forgot. You're Gibbs," he muttered sarcastically, which earned a slight nod from his boss.

Gibbs had sent Tony back to work with no promises of aiding him in his bet, but he had made no promises to himself that he wouldn't help the younger agent. After all, why would he want McGee of all people to win? That just wouldn't be right in Gibbs book. He told himself he would have to have a little more pity on Tony…

…So he had taken DiNozzo's cell phone out of his desk drawer while he wasn't looking, which was payback for the coffee maker he had never gotten back. The missing phone had later sent the special field agent into a panicky frenzy around the building, trying to locate his device which had somehow magically "disappeared." Part of Gibbs wanted to tell the man that the cell was in his possession, but the other part of him just wanted to leave the whole thing at that. Gibbs decided to listen to the latter part of himself. No phone, no women (unless if he used his home phone). He would just have to keep it for the whole week without telling the agent, because if Tony knew that Gibbs had the phone, who knew how annoying he could get? The very thought made Gibbs shudder.

Abby, on the other hand, had her hopes high on Tim winning, much to Gibbs' chagrin, but honestly, Gibbs couldn't blame her. A McGee without his video games or a DiNozzo without his women: which was more likely? Obviously, Tim.

"Let's face it," Abby had explained in her lab on another one of Gibbs' visits in the morning, "it's gonna be a rough week on McGee without all his computer games and stuff, but Tony can't possibly make it through this week alive. I give him five days."

Gibbs had shaken his head. "I give him three."

"Aw, that's harsh, Gibbs. At least give him four. How much do you wanna bet?"

"Please, don't even start that."

He had chuckled, and she had giggled. Both had taken long sips from their beverages at hand before an awkward silence overtook them. Abby had stared at the tiled floor, and Gibbs had counted the speckles on the tiled ceiling as an unfamiliar feeling grew in his stomach.

It was the day to get Gibbs' tattoo.

They had discussed the whole thing the day that their bet had ended, and Gibbs was definitely not happy.

"Abby. I. am. not. getting. a. tattoo," he had muttered sternly.

"But we agreed that whoever won the bet could make the other person do whatever he or she wants!" she had exclaimed. "Don't tell me you're gonna go back on your vow, Gibbs! We shook hands! You just don't take back what you say when you _shake hands!_"

"But you told me to tell you that I loved you a few minutes ago!"

"That doesn't count! And if you really do love me, you would've told me that anyways!" Abby put on a hurt face. "We're you just making that up?!"

"No," he had replied, and a smile once again crept up on the goth's face.

"Good! Then we're getting you a tattoo!"

"Abby!"

It had taken only about a thousand more of Abby's pleads to finally get Gibbs to give in, but he was happy to see her happy, especially the way she hopped up and down clapping her hands when he had finally said yes.

"It's gonna be so much fun, Gibbs!" she had squealed cheerily.

Gibbs shook his head. "Fun?" he had muttered quietly to himself. How was this gonna be fun?

Abby had insisted that he pick the design and everything else, but he had told her that she would have to make the decision. The goth seemed to have no problem with that as she quickly jumped to her computer. Gibbs had turned to leave, only to have her grab his arm and pull him back, saying that he would have to watch her pick which tat to use. He had sighed through the whole two hours of watching her scroll through tattoo pictures, but she was good company to have.

They had picked the design, and in a few days, they had gotten that tattoo. What it was and where it was put were two things that Abby had insisted they keep to themselves, which Gibbs couldn't agree more with. He had no intentions of telling the rest of the team that he had a tat in a certain area. Abby seemed to have fun with it, saying that it was their little secret that they would keep forever. It had made Gibbs smile.

Surprisingly, three days had passed, and McGee and DiNozzo's bet was still going strong, even though both looked rather worn out every morning they plodded into the bullpen, much to Gibbs amusement. It made him wonder how many days they would last. Maybe this whole bet thing was good team building. The two boys seemed to be getting along better.

As for his own relationship with Abby, Gibbs had no idea where that was going. He had attempted to ask her out for dinner again but had once more found her in the lab with McGee, causing him to swiftly turn back to the elevator. He had shrugged his feelings off. After all, he could always ask later. Maybe some other time, maybe never again…

…At least she knew that he cared for her.

That was all that mattered to him. As long as she knew he loved her, he couldn't care if they pursued a relationship together or not. Maybe it was better this way. Maybe it was better that they stayed the way they were for the rest of their lives.

It didn't matter to Gibbs. All he cared about was that he kept his promise to love her forever, that Abby would always stay close to his heart…

…And he had made sure that she would when he had secretly made his way back to the tattoo shop to get the initials _A. S. _permanently marked on his chest.

XXXXX

The end! Hope you liked it! Please review! :)


End file.
